AuthorTopic: Suggestions for Contest (Free Prizes) (Read 21681 times)

Uelsk8s is going to sponsor a contest with free Multimedia Bonus Discs as prizes. Here's the catch, we aren't sure what kind of contest to host. The original idea was for people to write multimedia tutorials and the author of the best one receives one of these for free:

However, after further thought, we decided that requiring people to write a tutorial would be too complicated. We would like suggestions for types of contest that will meet these criteria:

1) Provide publicity for VL2) Help VL in some way

3) Be easy enough that most semi-tech savvy Linux users can join in

4) Be exciting and something that will get lots of people involved and create a competitive atmosphere

5) Be repeatable

Any and all suggestions are welcome. We would like to run this contest each week or two (hence the fifth criterion) for 6 or 7 weeks. Any ideas? We need help. Thanks!

We really need some suggestions. I was thinking it should be like a wallpaper contest. It's easy enough that most people can get involved and people not using VL could participate. But other suggestions are really needed. Thanks!

Just letting you know that I care and have been thinking about since your initial post I think this contest, if it is going to be repeatable, shouldn't be exclusive to one category. Our users/readers have different strengths. I'd hate to see people shut out when it comes to the chance to win that prize.

I say rotate the "goal" according to what our needs are. That way everyone can have a shot at the fun, and our distro would be able to add lot's of wonderful content of all kinds to it's goodie bag. I'd suggest announcing each contest well enough in advance, to allow the competitors ample time to finish a high quality/complex "goal". These goals could be wallpapers (like your good idea), icon sets, gtk/qt themes, bootsplash/kdm theme sets, useful utilities (scripts/apps to perform a specific, useful task), howto's (even non winning howtos are valuable and needed.), most packages in timeframe, most valuable assistant (help to users), best VL promo writeup and so on, and so on.All these "goal" would be valuable to VL, and could get a wider spectrum of people involved.

I second the idea for a wallpaper contest. I also like the idea of multiple contests. Various demo videos of VL in action on different hardware would be nice also ... maybe something that people could view on youtube, our own sort of "astroturf" campaign (email all your friends! ).

How about a contest for best testimonial from a VL newbie/non-technical user on the strengths and weaknesses of VectorLinux (installation, ease of use, software package availability, configuration, etc.).

All of this has already been said by other people. Just my two cents.

Tom

EDIT: I was just thinking ... there are tons of videos of Ubuntu in action (especially w/Compiz-Fusion) on youtube. I would like to see something showing VL doing the same things or similar things without having the latest hardware and 2-4 gigs of RAM. Maybe I'll put something together myself. I don't think we're going to beat the steamroller that is Ubuntu, but at least we can try to get the word out to some people.

« Last Edit: May 22, 2008, 10:44:10 am by tomh38 »

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"I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones." - Linus Torvalds, April 1991

I like the youtube video idea....who can make the best video showcasing VL or MMBD with compiz as a bonus? Maybe....keep the good ideas rolling. Hehe, I like the "most packages in timeframe" idea exeterdad. What we would like to do though is to make some of this contest be open to people outside of VL. In other words, get it out to the public so that they see the VL logo and name and participate in a contest about VL in some way.

Why not just an old school DEMO contest... Each person entering will just submit a zip file of his vector linux created media... whatever that may be.

Could mix wallpapers, audio, video, after all this is all about multimedia.

Like an old school ACID ansi zip file with whatever you can put it your zip...sometimes them or other demo groups would include .mod or .voc sound files, little games, vga scrollers, it was all about being creative and kicking the ass of the otherdemo groups.... Graphics, sound...MULTIMEDIA of course, that was the beginning of it.

I think the rules for your contest should be simply that you used your vector linux pc to create the majority of the content you include in your zip file.

For our purposes... Each person entering the contest would create a zip file with :

Audio files creating using vector linux...Video files edited together/produced with vector linux.Graphics files edited with vector linux tools.Rendered graphics or ray traced graphics using vector linux tools.You could also include a testimonial with pics of your vector box,text describing what you do with it... Thats a GREAT IDEA!

Or any combination of the above. Now THAT would be an interesting contest and something that would pique my interest.

Well..It may be worth remembering that the prize is a MMBD...therefor desire to aquire will be to increase ones ability via additional software designed for the vector system.

Since a wider audience is also desired, and there are users around the globe, a SCENIC wallpaper contest is a good start. all submissions are the property of vector or the community and may be added to a wallpaper package or used as VLwallpaper. it only takes a camera and some creativity. additional contests may run at the same time or following for additional sample media.

other distros have sample media to test your system. puppy barks, ubuntu has a jazz sax. the entries may be added to the MMBD as a sample pack and or a desktop folder with a selection a small samples

Let's have a contest for biggest anti-Windows flamebaiter. I automatically win. Can I have my Multimedia Bonus CD now?

Okay, just kidding ...

More seriously, here's a possibility for a contest, based on the idea that there will be multiple contests, and going from something overthere wrote:

SOHO uses KDE for the primary desktop. How about a contest for a VL-SOHO-specific customized KDE sound scheme. Something that would be very distinctive for Vector Linux. Somebody could show off their mad audio skillz (I sure don't have them) and win a Multimedia Bonus CD.

Tom

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"I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones." - Linus Torvalds, April 1991

I like the review contest because this would probably have the biggest impact in the net. People writing reviews will publish the review in their blogs/sites, and thus distrowatch announce some of them. Although not improving the quality of vl in any way (on short term), this will (hopefuly) give a lot of feedback, and maybe bring more users to vl.

Btw, if you plan to do some contests, what do you think of that:

A given user does something for vl (it can be something related to artwork, reviews, or even trying to improve vl developing some script/app to make things more confortable to devs, packagers, or anything). The user can choose where to apply his work (normally he/she will apply in the area where he/she has more knowledge).

VL website would have the rules of every category, and should explain how to submit his work.

Every X months when a category has enough submitted things judges make their decision.

All submitted works are re-organized, that category becomes empty again, and vl devs use any of submitted works for vl benefit.

I like the idea that kidd has for how this contest should be organized.

I also think that rbistolfi's idea should definitely be a contest.

Here's a question: how are these contests going to be made known outside the VL community? Is there a Linux news site that would carry this?

Also, have metvas and vec weighed in on this contest? Do they have any ideas about how this might help promote VectorLinux?

Here's kind of a nutty (possibly stupid) idea: who can get VL running well on the lowest-end hardware (you'd have to pick a GUI like JWM or Fluxbox or something like that). With proof (that could be the hard part).

Just thinking out loud.

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"I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones." - Linus Torvalds, April 1991

What about "favourite after-iso tweak"? Users could submit their favourite addition/change to their post-install VL...e.g., a menu launcher that does something special for them, or a short script they wrote/use to automate a task, a Firefox interface setup that allows them to xyz...whatever it may be.

The nice thing about this is that we all have something we do that we really like, and others would certainly benefit from our 'personal tweak' - some might even make it into future releases of VL.

Better yet: The first contest could be coming up with the 'best contest idea'...

Bon chance!

LLL

Edit: I see rbistolfi already suggested the "best tweak" contest. Cheers to reading the posts before posting...I was just so excited...